Not A Racist, A Genuinely Nice Human Being, And, Uh, That's It, I Guess

At first, Eddy Curry, the hobbled Knicks' center, wouldn't comment on the ridiculous sexual harassment lawsuit brought upon him by his ex-chauffeur, but now he can't stop talking about it.

One thing that's been a constant throughout this whole messy affair has been the unwavering support both from reporters and teammates about this incident. The New York Times gave a glowing assessment of his character today, suggesting that it's Curry's over-friendliness that's gotten him into this mess. It's his gentle giant attitude that's also prevented him from being a productive big man in the NBA — included is a quote from former coach Isiah Thomas about Curry the player: "He's a nice man."

Curry's adamantly denied the allegations. He's given plenty of interviews to the Chicago and New York press, and the AP contesting the racism charges — and the gun situation — including this exclusive interview he gave to the Chicago Tribune in which he really, really tries to prove he's not a racist or an Anti-Semite:

"He calls me racist and my best friend on the planet is white. He calls me an anti-Semite and my agent is Jewish. I really don't understand how anybody could look at this and think it's remotely true," he said.

See? Not racist. This is the second time I've heard this I'll-show-you-I'm-not defense was used in the last couple days, the first being when the dimwitted chunky contestant on "Rock of Love Bus" tried to defend her racially insensitive comments by proclaiming, "How can I be racist? I have a black grandfather!" Regardless, I'm sure Curry's not a racist. He's said that multiple times.

One thing he hasn't directly addressed up to this point is the whole homosexual come-on part of the harassment suit. Sure, you could surmise that his " it's not true" defense encompasses all of the allegations but, given the circumstances, that seems like something he'd want to clarify as well, yet he's been dodgy. But do the Chicago writers know a secret the rest of the NBA world does not? The timing of this column by Sun-Times columnist Neil Hayes would suggest there are some "larger issues" to be looked at here.

Curry is married, a father of three, and has had basketball career littered with both professional and off-court problems, including an awful at-home robbery and heart problems. And it seems everyone in the media is thoroughly convinced that the lawsuit is utterly preposterous based solely on the fact that Curry's too nice a guy to play with guns or hurl such hurtful insults at an employee. But, well, they don't seem thoroughly convinced that he's not a man dealing with some sexual identity issues. Remember — David Kuchinsky was a man whom Curry befriended in spite of his prison record. That's the type of guy Eddy Curry is. Remember, the big man is hurt by these allegations "...because this is a guy who I really thought he was my friend.”

I'm curious to see how this plays out.